Tag: Star Wars Episode VII

I Embraced The Darkside With Ultrasabers’ New Crossguard Lightsaber!

by Jonathan

I’m ready for the 3rd phase of being a Star Wars fan… and it’s a lot like the Holy Trilogy I’ve loved my entire life has prepared me for. In the last 15 years, Star Wars and I have had an often virulent relationship. As anyone who listens to the podcast can tell you, I did not handle The Prequels very well. But you know what? That’s part of being a Star Wars fan.

A New Hope was our early fandom. It was all sunny and amazing. For over 20 years, almost everything Star Wars was great, from the trilogy of films to the video games to the books and comics. It really was the best of times and the future looked bright! But The Prequels for me were like the Empire striking back. It was a pretty dark time for me, one in which I got rid of almost all of my Star Wars memorabilia and cried to anyone who’d listen that we’d all been wronged. I’m not sure if I’m still over the heart break.

But just like the Jedi returned, so has Star Wars… and the future looks promising with a brand new series of films, brand new tie-in stories and the reappearance of our favorite characters. So why wouldn’t I return to A Galaxy Far, Far Away in heavy anticipation for Episode VII? Besides, with brand new Star Wars brings a whole bunch of what helped make us super fans in the first place, right? I’m talking about Star Wars memorabilia!

Well, after steering clear of Force Friday (I know, I still kind’ve want that remote controlled BB-8) I am finally proud to say that I have my first piece of Episode VII swag… and it’s probably the coolest piece on the market yet! Just look at my reaction when I unboxed it and quickly put it together:

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Yup! I’ve gone to the Darkside! The awesome folks at Ultrasabers sent me their new replica version of Kylo Ren’s crossguard lightsaber… and I love it!

The lightsaber actually shipped in two packages, one with the hilt and the other with the bulbs. The first thing I noticed in unpacking them (furiously, with my dog Rufus helping to destroy the bubble wrap) was the weight of the hilt. It’s very, very well crafted and has a good amount of heft to it. No doubt, shipping them with the plastic LEDs may have damaged them. Even still, the LEDs (which make the cross guard 14” long and 5.5.” wide) seem pretty sturdy. It would take a pretty big impact to damage them. Really, the construction of everything really impressed me.

Hilt

My specific saber came with the batteries ready to go (4 AAAs). And the LEDs were easy to insert and tighten into place with the tiny included Allen wrench. Once that was all done (a few minutes), it was ready to go. This IS the first replica sword that I own (I almost bought a Master Sword and shield at SDCC a few years ago but disciplined myself) and I’m pretty impressed by it. The craftsmanship that went into it is pretty detailed and the aircraft aluminum construction really needs to be felt to be appreciated.

There are other replica lightsaber companies out there but it’s best to go to a company that’s reputable. The model that I got retails on the Ultrasabers site for around $199-$250 depending on what options you select (some of the sabers come with motion sounds, rechargeable batteries, etc.) but they all seem like a high quality for the price. A friend of mine on Facebook warned me away from some of their competitors, saying that companies like Saberforge were known in the fan community as “Saberforgery” because of their reputation for not fulfilling orders. Regardless, I’m pretty glad that my first experience was with the folks at Ultrasabers.

Handle

So just like that, my Star Wars fandom has been reignited and I can’t wait for The Force to awaken. Like every single one of you, I’m planning to get tickets for opening night. This time though, when the lights go down and the opening Star Wars crawl starts stretching across the screen, I won’t be empty handed when the theater fills up with fans waving around their replica lightsabers (because you know it’s going to happen)! I’ll have my Ultrasaber crossguard with me, ready to represent The Dark Side in full Force!

To take a look at the entire inventory of customization options, visit the Ultrasaber site for yourself!

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Watch the New ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ TV Spot!

by jake108

Disney has decided to premiere The Force Awakens‘ first TV spot in South Korea, and it does not disappoint.

There’s a few new shots to look out for, as well as some new music. Hopefully we lay off the TV spots until we get closer to December. Regardless, this was a nice treat.

Fantastic New ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Photos Reveal Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendolyn Christie

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: What a way to kick off May 4th.

Vanity Fair‘s Annie Leibovitz has just debuted a series of exclusive photos of the cast of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Among the images are our first looks at Adam Driver‘s evil Kylo Ren, and Lupita Nyong’o’s motion-tracking gear for her character, Maz Kanata.

Chewie himself, Peter Mayhew has also taken to Twitter to reveal the identity of Game of Thrones‘ star Gwendolyn Christie’s character. She’ll be portraying Captian Phasma in the film. You know, that bad-ass chrome Stormtrooper we saw way back when.

You can take a look at the images below. Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below, and don’t forget to re-watch the phenomenal trailer from a few weeks back.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theatres on December 18th.

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SWDriver

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I know I don’t even need to ask if you’re excited. This looks so freaking good.

The Geekscape ‘STAR WARS’ Celebration 2015 LiveStream

by Bigyanks

This year at Star Wars Celebration the events will be live streamed for everyone to enjoy thanks to Verizon. With the new movie coming out this Winter, there are sure to be some great announcements and surprises (unless Disney decides to horde the really good stuff for D23 this Summer) that will have a lot of fans tuning in. We will have continuing coverage of the events with any  news announcements. While I’m here in New York City enjoying via live stream, Emperor London will be attending the festivities tomorrow in Anaheim.

Day 2 – Battlefront Panel

– Star Wars – Battlefront DLC called Battle of Jakku which we link the game to the movies and explain the downed star destroyer

– Iconic character will be playable in the game in 1st person or 3rd person perspective.

– Dice team was given a chance to scan models and inspect the models and artwork at the archives in Skywalker ranch.

right out the gate, Reveal Trailer

Teaser trailer #2

Update #7

Anthony Daniels, Carrie Fisher, Peter Meyhew, MARK HAMILL hit the stage!!!!!

Carrie Fisher can confirm, no metal Bikini. Also some variation of the hair buns.

The original casts giving much love to all the ultra fans.

No Harrison Ford, but we can understand why.

Update #6

The cast takes the stage! Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, and Osar Issac. Each character gives a quick synopsis of who there characters are. Great Q&A happening with everyone on stage.

Oscar Issac stated his character starts out working on a mission given to him by a certain “Princess”

New Stormtroppers on stage!!

update #5

Fans were hired as Droid builders for The Force Awakens, R2-D2 is on stage now.  New Pilot Droids were also created. The BB8  Droid is now on stage, he is COOL!!!

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Update #4

The desert planet in the force awakens is not tatooine but a planet called “Jaku”

Update #3

Director J.J. Abrams and Producer Kathleen Kennedy on stage talking about their love for star wars and how they started to work on the film. Also flashing on set pics.

Update #2

Apparently some promotional posters for Episode VII have been leaked online. Cant confirm the validity of the artwork but they look awesome!!

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Update #1

There have already been reports of Good Guy J.J. Abrams buying pizzas for the campers for the main hall. So anticipation must be high!

What other news are you must looking forward to? let us know in the comments. MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!

The First ‘Star Wars’ Spinoff Gets A Title, ‘Episode VIII’ Dated!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: While we’re all twiddling our thumbs until December 18th, Disney is certainly not standing still. The studio today officially revealed and dated the first Star Wars spinoff, and also announced the release date for Episode VIII.

Bob Iger announced the news at today’s Disney shareholders meeting. Here’s what was revealed, straight from StarWars.com:

Rogue One is the title for the first film in a unique series of big-screen adventures that explores the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga. Rogue One will be directed by Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla) and written by Oscar nominee Chris Weitz (Cinderella, About a Boy, Antz). The first actress cast is Felicity Jones, who garnered an Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim for her performance in The Theory of Everything. The idea for the story of Rogue One came from John Knoll, an Academy Award-winning visual effects supervisor and chief creative officer at Industrial Light & Magic. He will executive produce along with Simon Emanuel (The Dark Knight Rises, Fast & Furious 6) and Jason McGatlin (Tintin, War of the Worlds). Kathleen Kennedy and Tony To (Band of Brothers, The Pacific) are on board to produce and John Swartz (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will co-produce. The film starts shooting this summer in London and is due for release on December 16, 2016.

 

In addition, Iger confirmed that Rian Johnson will write and direct Star Wars: Episode VIII. The film, which continues the saga after the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is set for release on May 26, 2017 — forty years and a day after the release of Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977. Johnson is widely considered one of cinema’s most gifted young filmmakers, having directed the modern sci-fi classic, Looper, as well as Brick and The Brothers Bloom. He was also behind the camera for three episodes of the critically-acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad, including “Ozymandias,” which series creator Vince Gilligan named as the best installment of the show. Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman, producer of Looper, Don Jon, Brick, and The Brothers Bloom, are on board to produce.

I have to say that I’m beyond excited for both of these films. I was a big fan of last year’s Godzilla, and can’t wait to see what Gareth Edwards can do when he’s taken to space (and who doesn’t love Felicity Jones). On the flipside, both Brick and Looper from Rian Johnson are films I’ve watched a multitude of times, and as many issues as Looper had, it was still quite the incredible, thought provoking production. I’m really looking forward to seeing what he can do with a (probably much) bigger budget, and a vastly larger universe.

So, in case you forgot, Rogue One is coming on December 16th, 2016, while Episode VIII will drop on May 26, 2017. That’s a lot of Star Wars.

Photo: StarWars.com
Photo: StarWars.com

The Characters From The ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Teaser Now Have Names!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Following the official (and officially awesome) teaser trailer from a few weeks back, Disney has just revealed the names of some of the characters we’ll be seeing in next years Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

And they did it in the style of the classic Star Wars Topps trading cards. This is so freaking cool.

Here we go:

Finn

Kylo-Ren

Millennium-Falcon

Poe-Dameron

Rey

Stormtroopers

X-Wings

BB-8

Pretty damn cool, huh? Abrams revealed the images to EW earlier today, and also noted that the numbering on the cards is important. Get speculating!

The ‘Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens’ Teaser Trailer Soars In!

by Jonathan

The day we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! No! Not Black Friday! I’m talking about the arrival of the new Star Wars teaser trailer that we DON’T have to go to the theaters to enjoy (but we still probably should ‘cuz big screen and all)!

This trailer doesn’t give us much, but we do get to see some amazing new tweaks to the Star Wars universe, including a cool ball droid, a tri-saber, the new look Stormtroopers and shots of newcomers John Boyega and Daisy Ridley in action.

Many of us have been skeptical since the Prequels, keeping our growing excitement at bay, but when that John Williams score kicks in and you see the Millennium Falcon take on some tie fighters you can’t help but get those old familiar chills from your childhood!

Too bad those of us in the US have to wait until December 18, 2015 to see the rest!

‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ Is Now ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’!

by Jonathan

Star Wars: Episode VII is no longer Star Wars: Episode VII! J.J. Abram’s film’s is now Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Disney and Lucasfilm just announced!

It was also announced that principal photography has been completed after beginning in May of this year.

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Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is set to hit theaters Dec. 18, 2015.

The characters (and actors!) of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) and Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) will return while new actors include Andy Serkis, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac and Max von Sydow.

‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ Sees Possible Villain, Plus Han Solo and Stormtrooper Costumes

by Eric Francisco

There is an influx of new Star Wars VII information today! J.J. Abrams loves playing his usual mystery box secrets and giggling like a school girl while we itch to know more. We can wildly speculate every little inch of this film, but when we get something it feels like we can take off for the rest of the day. First, some new costumes.

While for legal reasons we cannot reproduce the images below, you can click on over to UPROXX to see them yourself. There’s also a few leaked images of what the new Stormtroopers look like, and they look kinda Kubrick. Han is dressed like an older, grizzled Malcolm Reynolds of sorts, which just that space cowboy trope full circle, don’t it? His other costume, made for colder temperatures, is a throwback to his duds from Empire Strikes Back. The Stormtroopers, meanwhile, evoke a sort of 2001: A Space Odyssey vibe. Their helmets remind me of the hotel ship from the film after the gigantic time jump. Interesting that one of the most influential pieces of sci-fi and pop culture is evoking the other most influential piece of sci-fi and pop culture ever. A lot of these visual references could just be total coincidence, after all how much can you really invent “space soldier” and “space cowboy”?

Now, the bad guys. Abrams posted the note below, thanking everyone for the cool $5 million donated for A Force For Change. Way to go, good people! Thing is, check out that hand holding the note. The cyborg one. Who the hell is that? Did they give a gritty edge to C-3PO?

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According to Latino Review, the hand may belong to the Inquisitors, villains previously of the extended universe. This might hurt for you to hear, but anything relating to the extended universe and I start getting bored, so I’ll let the good source explain to you the Inquisitors.

The Inquisitors are the villains of Star Wars: Episode VII and the name of the main villain in Star Wars: Rebels. They seem to be loosly based on the now-deleted Expanded Universe Inquistors (Click here for that background) mixed with the hardended Sith look of Rebels’ villain. The Inquisitors are defenders of the Sith Order and they’ve been around for a long time. Just how long is what turns Episode VII’s story on it’s head.

Cool, I guess.

Hey. What’s this?

GET OUT NOW IF YOU DON’T WANT THE BIG SPOILER.

Ok?

Onward.

When our hero(es) find Luke and the Inquisitors are revealed, Luke’s explanation on the history of this order is going to trigger a flashback to explain that the Inquisitors have been tied into the Sith all along.

Remember when we broke Billie Lourd’s casting (Lourd is the biological daughter of Carrie Fisher)? That’s not so she can play a Solo kid, it’s so she can play a much younger Princess Leia than we’ve ever seen before in this flashback…

But, a young Princess Leia is not all this flashback reveals…

The Inquisitors will be seen serving Darth Vader in flashback.

Yes, Darth Vader will be on screen, briefly, in Star Wars: Episode VII. We’re not done with the dark prince of the Sith quite yet.

UH. COOL.

Star Wars: Episode VII will be released December 18, 2015.

Pip Andersen, Crystal Clarke Join ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: The already expansive cast of J.J. Abrams Star Wars: Episode VII has just added two more.

Following the addition of 12 Years A Slave star Lupita Nyong’o and Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie a few weeks back, Disney has announced that newcomers Crystal Clarke and Pip Andersen have joined the project in unspecified roles.

Here’s the announcement:

At the end of last year Lucasfilm and Disney invited all young aspiring actors to attend an open casting call for roles in J.J Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII. The casting calls spanned 11 cities across the US and UK and over 37,000 hopefuls attended, with a further 30,000 submitting applications online.

 

Having hunted high and low for young and undiscovered talent, the filmmakers are delighted to announce that two actors from the open call call have been cast.

 

Crystal Clarke is an American actress studying in Glasgow, UK, who has both stage and screen acting experience and is soon to be seen in her first feature,The Moon and the Sun (to be released in 2015). British actor Pip Andersen is a skilled practitioner of parkour, a discipline that involves propelling oneself through any given environment with incredible grace and agility. Pip recently demonstrated this remarkable skill in a Spider-Man ad for Sony.

 

“The Star Wars universe has always been about discovering and nurturing young talent and in casting Episode VII we wanted to remain absolutely faithful to this tradition. We are delighted that so many travelled to see us at the open casting calls and that we have been able to make Crystal and Pip a part of the film,” said producer and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy.

 

Meanwhile, principal photography continues at Pinewood Studios in London after wrapping on location in Abu Dhabi in May.

 

In August, the team will take a brief two-week hiatus while adjustments to the current production schedule are made as actor Harrison Ford recovers from a leg injury. Harrison is doing well and is looking forward to returning to the set soon. Shooting remains on track to wrap in the fall with the film scheduled for release on December 18, 2015.

Are you looking forward to the film? What do you think of the new additions? Sound out below!

Pip

Photo via StarWars.com

‘Looper’s Rian Johnson To Direct ‘Star Wars’ Episodes VIII And IX!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: This is some very cool news.

Deadline has learned that Looper, Brick (if you haven’t seen this, definitely, definitely look into it), and Breaking Bad‘s Ozymandias director Rian Johnson has been tapped to write and direct both Star Wars: Episode VIII and Star Wars: Episode IX.

So now we have Abrams on Episode VII, Godzilla director Gareth Edwards on one of the standalone films, Chronicle‘s Josh Trank on another, and Johnson on Episode VIII and IX. That’s some pretty stellar talent. Are you excited yet?

Johnson hasn’t officially commented on the news, but did tweet out the following hilarious and fitting video:

http://youtu.be/o9iP2WEvq2s

Were you a Looper fan? Are you looking forward to the new trilogy? Sound out below!

J.J. Abrams Responds To Leaked ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ Photos!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Star Wars: Episode VII set photos have been leaking all over the place (we haven’t been posting them out of respect to the production). Disney and most everyone involved in the production are likely irate at this fact, and today director J.J. Abrams tweeted out a fantastic, tongue-in-cheek response to the culprit(s):

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Fans will notice that the note is sitting on top of the Holochess board from the Millennium Falcon, which we saw being built in those photos a couple days back.

Star Wars: Episode VII stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Max von Sydow, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker, Lupita Nyong’o, and Gwendoline Christie, and will hit theatres on December 18th, 2015.

’12 Years A Slave’s Lupita Nyong’o, ‘Game Of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie Join ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: The already expansive cast of J.J. Abrams Star Wars: Episode VII has just added two more.

The cast was lacking in female stars, but Disney has announced that Academy Award winner and 12 Years A Slave star Lupita Nyong’o and Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie have joined the project in unspecified roles.

“I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII,” says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. “It’s thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape.”

Star Wars: Episode VII will hit theatres on December 18th, 2015. What do you think of the latest additions?

Photo via StarWars.com
Photo via StarWars.com

J.J. Abrams Offers Message From The Set Of ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Ah, it’s great to see some practical effects here.

The official Star Wars YouTube channel has just debuted the first video from the set of Episode VII, and it features something very cool in the background.

The video announces a contest that will give a fan a spot in the film, and also to promote awareness for the Star Wars UNICEF campaign. During the video, a cute looking alien walks through the background, and it’s a great first look at what Abrams and crew are up to right now in Abu Dhabi.

Take a look at the video below, and be sure to let us know what you think!

The ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ Cast Has Been Revealed!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: I wasn’t expecting to hear any casting news until May 4th (I wonder what’s in store for us that day), but Disney has just revealed the cast of J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: Episode VII!

Here’s the announcement, straight from StarWars.com:

The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

 

Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.

 

Director J.J. Abrams says, “We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.”

 

Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.

Of course, we don’t know who’s playing who (aside from the original cast, of course), or even what characters we’ll see in the film, but in any case, it’s hard not to get excited.

Take a look at the first photo of the cast below, and let us know what you think of the news!

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‘Star Wars Episode VII’ Set 30 Years After ‘Return Of The Jedi’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: The rumour mill has been rampant, but today we finally got some sold news from the Star Wars Episode VII front.

During an earnings call today, Disney’s Bob Iger revealed that the film would star a trio of young leads, and be set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi.

No further details were revealed, including just what the hell the film will be about.

The revelation was confirmed via the official Star Wars twitter account:

 

What are you hoping to see in the film? Do you agree with Jonathan’s list of pieces in the expanded universe that are worth saving? Sound out below!

‘Girls’ Star Adam Driver To Play The Villain In ‘Star Wars Episode VII’?

by Jonathan

About a month ago, it was widely rumored that ‘Girls’ star Adam Driver was being circled by Warner Bros. as a casting choice for Dick Grayson/Robin in Zack Snyder’s ‘Man of Steel’ sequel. That rumor has since fizzled out but it did put Driver on many geeks radar (unless they were already ‘Girls’ fans like our very own Shane “Rarity” O’Hare).

Well, now geeks have reason to reintroduce themselves to the actor as Variety reports Driver is close to signing on to play the villain in ‘Star Wars Episode VII’. Other actors rumored for a villain role (if not the villain role) include Michael Fassbender and Hugo Weaving so some powerful people are really swinging hard for the 30 year old actor. I’m all for the casting of a relative unknown (hey, Hayden Christensen was not one of the problems with with the Prequels) and look forward to seeing this new iteration of the Star Wars sage come together. Hopefully, Driver, J.J. and the rest of the Disney crew can make things right in the Star Wars cinematic universe again for all Star Wars geeks!

‘Star Wars Episode VII’ is scheduled for release on Dec. 18, 2015. For more information on the potential deal, click through to the full Variety article.

Source: Variety

J.J. Abrams States That He Will NOT Direct ‘Star Trek 3’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It’s been rumoured for some time, but now it’s official: J.J. Abrams will not direct the third instalment in the new Star Trek series.

During a Collider interview promoting the Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-Ray release, Abrams let the news drop:

It’s a little bittersweet.  But, I will say that I’m going to be producing the movie.  Whomever it is that directs the film will be someone we all know is going to keep the cast and crew in good hands.  I feel very lucky to have been part of it, and it definitely feels like the right time to let someone come in and do their own thing.  I certainly don’t want someone to come in and try to do what I would have done.  We want to hire someone who’s gonna come in and bring their own sensibility.  I’m very excited to see what comes next, despite feeling jealous of whomever that person is.

So that’s that. I’m sure that some of you will be severely disappointed about the news, while others will be absolutely over the moon (I’m definitely in the former camp). In any case, now that Abrams is out of the picture, who would you like to see step into the director’s chair? On that note, how did you feel about Star Trek Into Darkness?

2013 Winter TCA Tour - Day 3

Producer Kathleen Kennedy Leaves ‘Jurassic Park IV’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Sad news for the folks over at Isla Nublar.

 

Producer Frank Marshall revealed today via twitter that his counterpart and franchise producer Kathleen Kennedy will not be a part of Jurassic Park IV. Kennedy recently stepped in as president of LucasFilm, and will instead act on as Executive Producer on the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII.

 

 

Jurassic Park IV still has no cast or director, but is scheduled to release on June 14th, 2014.

 

Any thoughts on this news?

 

Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy on the set of 'Jurassic Park'
Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy on the set of ‘Jurassic Park’

 

Source: Deadline

UPDATE: Colin Trevorrow Definitely NOT Involved With ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’

by Shawn Madden

Not long ago a rumor popped up that Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) was on the list of contenders to direct Star Wars: Episode VII. The writer/director has actually had meetings at Lucasfilm and it now appears that Trevorrow has actually known about the project and been attached for quite some time. Watch the following video and skip ahead to the 21:15 mark.

I can’t speak with any specificity as to what the next thing will be. There are amazing opportunities that have arisen as a result of this. One of them, I will say, will probably create a good deal of ire against me on the Internet when people find out what it is. So, I just want to say in advance that I promise you, for all those who love the mythology that I will be tackling, trust that I love it as much as you do. And I will respect it, and hopefully make it not suck.

This video actually dates back to June. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Trevorrow is directing. He definitely has writing experience and that Kathleen Kennedy & George Lucas have mentioned that there are multiple writers involved with the project. Trust us, this should be officially announced sometime very soon.

UPDATE: Well, the director has taken it to Twitter earlier today to announce that he is definitely NOT involved in this project but another one. Well, that’s a little disappointing and now brings up the question of what exactly he is working on.

Source: Film Stage

 

Mark Millar Reveals Why Matthew Vaughn Chose To Not Direct ‘X-Men: Days Of Future Past’

by Shawn Madden

A short while ago it was revealed that Matthew Vaughn had decided to step down as the director for X-Men: Days Of Future Past to work on the big screen adaptation of Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons The Secret Service. This one was definitely a surprise and left some fans a little disappointed. Now, a rumor is spreading around that the director has left the project was to work on Star Wars: Episode VII. So, what is the real reason Vaughn stepped down? In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Mark Millar revealed that there was a very good reason for the decision.

“We thought Matthew was going to do X-Men first, but we found out there were actually a few imitators of ‘Secret Service’ in the works. People think you’re lying when you say you’re not trying to get your comics made into movies so quickly, but the two reasons it happens like that is first because it’s the best ad for the comic you’ll ever have. And for me, selling the book is the most important thing. The second reason is because people are always trying to rip you off. Somebody will start to work on a spec screenplay about your idea. There are three other projects I know of now about a James Bond kind of guy taking a street kid and turning him into a spy. Three screenplays were already going through Hollywood about this! So Matthew and I said, ‘[frick] this. We’re not letting anyone steal our ideas.'”